What are the best types of cooking oils for your health?
Many people search for frying in healthy ways by using specific types, and moving away from traditional oils, but a new study has alerted the need to use a specific oil that many ignore, even though it is very healthy.
While many know that some cooking oils, such as olive oil and avocado oil, are healthier for cooking than others, they do not know that soybean oil is among the oils most beneficial to heart health.
Scientists say that widely available soybean oil has confused scientists and consumers for ages, except that it actually promotes cardiovascular health and lowers cholesterol.
This was revealed by a group of researchers in nutrition sciences from Pennsylvania State University and Texas Tech University through a study published recently in the Journal of Nutrition.
While soybean oil is the most widely consumed oil in the United States as well as in the world, its risks versus benefits have been the focus of much debate among consumers and medical professionals for years.
But the researchers who prepared the new study say: "Despite the prevalence of soybean oil in the United States and its cardioprotective effect, American consumers rarely rate it as healthy compared to many other oils, such as olive oil, canola oil, coconut oil and avocado oil."
While saturated fats are generally thought to be the leading cause of heart disease and death, a 2010 study revealed that in 80 percent of countries, twice as many heart disease cases were due to insufficient levels of polyunsaturated omega-6 fats (such as those found in oil Soybeans), compared to rates of heart disease caused by high levels of saturated fats.
The researchers conducted an analysis of previous studies that all examined the effects of soybean oil on health, including aspects related to preventing cardiovascular disease, blood lipid levels (cholesterol), inflammation and oxidation.
Their findings indicate that soybean oil, which contains unsaturated fats, does not "affect inflammatory biomarkers, nor increase oxidative stress," and when soybean oil replaced saturated fats, cholesterol levels in the blood decreased.
Source: Agencies
